No Nay Never’s Caroline Street On Top In The Blue Wind

Joseph O'Brien trainee Caroline Street (No Nay Never–Harvestfortheworld {Ire}, by So You Think {NZ}) was highly tried after notching a July 14 debut score at Leopardstown, with the highlight of three subsequent pattern-race starts being a second to Auguste Rodin (Ire) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) in September's G2 Golden Fleece S. back at the Foxrock venue. Lining up for Saturday's G3 Al Shira'aa Racing Irish EBF Blue Wind S. coming back off a sixth in the Curragh's Sept. 22 G3 Weld Park S., she found plenty in the straight to lead home an exacta for her trainer in the 10-furlong Naas feature.

The eventual winner employed patient tactics for the most part and settled off the tempo in seventh through halfway. Making stealthy headway in the straight, the 11-2 chance launched her challenge approaching the final furlong and was ridden out in the closing stages to comfortably hold stablemate Lumiere Rock (Ire) (Saxon Warrior {Jpn}) by a half-length.

“They are two very nice fillies and it was a great result,” said O'Brien. “I was quite impressed with Caroline Street and, when Dylan [Browne McMonagle] asked for a bit of gas at the bottom of the straight he was nearly taking her back. We were going a mile-and-a-quarter and she's a No Nay Never, so we were riding her patiently and he gave her a lovely confident ride. We might look at the [G1] Pretty Polly and we'll have a look at the [G1] Irish 1000 Guineas. There is the Saratoga Oaks in the Autumn and that would be a nice target for her, but she will have to go somewhere between now and then. She's handled soft [going], so I think she's pretty versatile ground-wise.”

Pedigree Notes

Caroline Street, who becomes the 28th pattern-race winner for her sire (by Scat Daddy), is the first of three foals produced by G3 Gallinule S. third Harvestfortheworld (Ire) (So You Think (NZ), herself a half-sister to G2 Al Maktoum Challenge Round 1 third Rutland Boy (GB) (Bertolini) and the stakes-placed Soul Searcher (Ire) (Motivator {GB}). The April-foaled dark bay's third dam El Opera (Sadler's Wells) is kin to G1 Phoenix S. heroine Pharaoh's Delight (Fairy King), whose descendants include GI Breeders' Cup Turf and GI Man O' War S. hero Red Rocks (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}). Harvestfortheworld, who was bred to Munnings this year, has a 2-year-old colt and yearling colt by Into Mischief to come.

Saturday, Naas, Ireland
AL SHIRAAA RACING IRISH EBF BLUE WIND S.-G3, €65,000, Naas, 5-6, 3yo, f, 10fT, 2:09.44, gd/yl.
1–CAROLINE STREET, 128, f, 3, by No Nay Never
1st Dam: Harvestfortheworld (Ire) (GSP-Ire), by So You Think (NZ)
2nd Dam: Israar (GB), by Machiavellian
3rd Dam: El Opera (Ire), by Sadler's Wells
1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN; 1ST GROUP WIN. ($200,000 Ylg '21 FTSAUG). O-Marc Detampel & Michael Buckley; B-Grantley Acres, Ryan Conner & Ron Davidson (KY); T-Joseph O'Brien; J-Dylan Browne McMonagle. €39,000. Lifetime Record: 5-2-1-0, $82,284. Werk Nick Rating: A++. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree, or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Lumiere Rock (Ire), 131, f, 3, Saxon Warrior (Jpn)–Last Gold (Fr), by Gold Away (Ire). (55,000gns Ylg '21 TATOCT). O-Michael O'Flynn; B-The Last Partnership (IRE); T-Joseph O'Brien. €13,000.
3–Red Riding Hood (Ire), 128, f, 3, Justify–Ballydoyle (Ire), by Galileo (Ire). 1ST BLACK TYPE; 1ST GROUP BLACK TYPE. O-Derrick Smith, Susan Magnier, Michael Tabor & Westerberg; B-Coolmore (IRE); T-Aidan O'Brien. €6,500.
Margins: HF, NK, 4. Odds: 5.50, 3.33, 5.50.
Also Ran: Keep In Touch (Ire), Foniska (Ire), Drummin Life (Ire), Fast Tara (Ire), Diamondsareforever (Ire).

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There She Goes: Honeysuckle Leaves Cheltenham in Raptures

CHELTENHAM, UK–One champion crowned as another exits. But there was no quiet shuffling off, stage left, for Honeysuckle (GB) (Sulamani {Ire}), who was roared home, roared in, and roared out of the Cheltenham winner's circle that provides no better setting for equine coronations. 

Just forty minutes earlier the new king of the hurdling division, Constitution Hill (GB), had delivered exactly the performance expected of him but one which can never be guaranteed in the hurly-burly of championship races at the Festival. Plenty of commentators are already suggesting that the son of Blue Bresil (Fr) is the greatest hurdler of all time after he has made just six spotless starts under Rules. Whether he is or isn't is almost irrelevant. The horse who gave Nicky Henderson his record ninth win in the Unibet Champion Hurdle is the best there is right now by a long way: nine lengths, in fact, if we take his winning margin as a measure. And on any other day, in any other week, his superb round under Nico de Boinville would have been the stand-alone performance that gave all comers at Prestbury Park that special I-was-there moment. 

Who, after all, will forget that flamboyant, spring-heeled leap at the last, not because he needed to but just because he could? The image of that split second alone will linger on, serving as it did to underline the untapped reserves of Constitution Hill at the end of a race that had his rivals hard to the pump in fruitless pursuit. Then along came Honeysuckle.

“This is just a horse race and a bit of fun, it's not real life,” said the great mare's owner Kenny Alexander in the aftermath of the Close Brother Mares' Hurdle, and his may have been the coolest head there, for all around him others were losing theirs. “We knew it would be Honeysuckle's final race, and those who have adored her and Rachael Blackmore–because, let's face it, this is a dream double act–will have shared the pain of her two defeats this season, even though her mighty record now stands at 19 for 17. Honeysuckle owed us nothing, but there was a score to be settled nonetheless. 

When the headstrong Love Envoi (Ire) (Westerner {GB}) looked as though she would have her freewheeling way all the way to the line, there was for a moment a feeling of resignation, that this would be okay, to see Honeysuckle finish second for the second time; an honourable swansong. But Honeysuckle herself, driven by Blackmore and responding all the way from the back of the last, had other ideas. 

“She's tried to kill me for five years now,” said her trainer Henry de Bromhead, and you could see that feisty mare dig deep to give everything she had left to power up the hill for one glorious last hurrah. Four runs at the Cheltenham Festival: two Champion Hurdles, two Mares' Hurdles. What a girl. 

With Blackmore still breathless after her own heroic effort, she immediately understood that this was about more than just winning a horse race. 

“We all wish a very special kid could be here today, but he's watching down on us,” she said, with thoughts of Jack de Bromhead, the 13-year-old son of Honeysuckle's trainer and his wife Heather, who lost his life last September in a pony racing accident. He is officially commemorated at Cheltenham on Thursday with the running of the Jack de Bromhead Mares' Novices' Hurdle in which his father will field five of the 21 runners. 

For the de Bromhead stable, Honeysuckle's work is done, but she will remain very much within the Alexander fold. The owner-breeder, who some years ago bought New Hall Stud in Ayrshire from the Thom family, has, with the help of Peter Molony, set about establishing an elite band of National Hunt broodmares. Now that colony has its queen, who will head to Scotland eventually once she is safely in foal. Molony confirmed in the winner's enclosure, lump in throat as he spoke, that Honeysuckle would return to Ireland to his Rathmore Stud initially, and that she is already booked for a first tryst with Coolmore's Walk In The Park (Ire).

Alexander added, “She's retired now and I've had an absolute blast owning her. I'm lost for words to be honest, the celebration was out of control. If you can't lose it a bit after winning a race like that though, you probably shouldn't own racehorses.

“It just shows you how great the sport is when she's getting a cheer like that. They don't love me, that's for sure. They may love Rachael, and even Henry a bit, but they really love that horse.”

As one industry stalwart put it as Honeysuckle took a final lap of honour of the Cheltenham parade ring: “What an hour of magic.”

At times, it is easy to get ground down by some of racing's woes, from major issues to petty bureaucracies. But on days like Tuesday, when the winter sun finally showed its face after weeks of brutal weather, as if to say, “Go on then, have your fun”, the fun never felt so good. From Marine Nationale (Fr) (French Navy {Ire}) in the opening Supreme Novices' Hurdle and two victories on the day for his engaging young jockey Michael O'Sullivan, to a dust-up in the last between another three of the best amateurs in the game, it was a day to remember exactly why we love this great sport. A day that belonged, equally, to Constitution Hill and Honeysuckle. 

 

 

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Sterling Suffolk Racecourse Names New COO

Michael Buckley has been named the new chief operating officer of Sterling Suffolk Racecourse LLC, the simulcast wagering facility and prospective applicant for a Massachusetts sports wagering license which formerly operated as Suffolk Downs racetrack. Buckley is a principal at Belmont Capital LLC, one of Suffolk Racecourse's three owners.

“On behalf of the SSR ownership, we are pleased to have Mike take on this new role as we work toward implementing sports betting along with our simulcast wagering business,” said Richard Fields, one of Sterling Suffolk's principal owners.

“I'm excited about this opportunity to help lead Sterling Suffolk Racecourse into its next phase as a premier sports wagering company in Massachusetts,” said Buckley.

Buckley replaces Chip Tuttle, Sterling Suffolk's COO since 2007 who had been with the company since 1992.

“We're sorry to lose Chip after his many years of great service to the company,” said Joe O'Donnell, another of Sterling Suffolk's principal owners. “We're grateful for everything Chip has done to move Sterling Suffolk forward and help set the stage for our successes ahead.”

Tuttle said, “I've been affiliated with Sterling Suffolk Racecourse and Suffolk Downs for more than 30 years. It has been a big part of my professional life and I'm very appreciative of the opportunity the ownership gave me and for my time with the company. SSR is well positioned for future success and I look forward to helping Mike in his new role. It is the right time for me to focus more of my attention and resources on my other business interests.”

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From the Experts: Michael Buckley

On the back of the eagerly anticipated stallion fee announcements in Europe, Gary King spoke with a number of leading industry figures about value. Today we have the affable Michael Buckley of Harefield Cottage Stud.

GK: Who have you identified as a first-year stallion at an appealing opening fee?

MB: Far Above (Ire) (Farhh {GB}), Sands of Mali (Fr) (Panis) and Sergei Prokofiev (Scat Daddy) all seem quite appealing first-season stallion prospects. If I had to choose one, then maybe it would be Sergei Prokofiev at £6,500. A $1.1-million yearling by Scat Daddy out of a Tapit mare, he was a high class, precocious juvenile, third in the Coventry and won the G3 Cornwallis S. over 5 furlongs.

GK: Best value proven stallion, and why?

MB: Mehmas (Ire) (Acclamation {GB}) at €25,000. I think the team at Tally-Ho did a great job for breeders keeping Mehmas at an affordable fee, even though he had every right to stand for more. He had a record-breaking first season which reminds me of sire great Invincible Spirit (Ire) and he looks destined for the very top. He has not only sired winners but a plethora of black-type including a G1 Middle Park S. winner out of a mare with a highest official rating of 46.

GK: Who would you consider to be an under the radar stallion?

MB: Bungle Inthejungle (GB) (Exceed and Excel {Aus}) at a fee of €8,000. I consider him of great interest, particularly this season. In 2019, he served his best book of mares to date having reaped the rewards of a breakout 2018, and as a result we could see him take a big leap forward in 2022 before these foals are offered.

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